Almost
by Razzella
Summary: The saddest word in the whole wide world is the word almost. He was almost in love. She was almost good for him. He almost stopped her. She almost waited. He almost lived. They almost made it. - Nikita Gill
1. Chapter 1

Vulpes had always been curious about his soulmate. From a young age, he'd wondered about their relevance and why everyone seemed so keen on finding them. The Legion had provided an answer for him that had seemed acceptable at the time. _Your soulmate is meant to serve you_ , Caesar had told him. Apparently the female counterpart was meant to serve the male, and that made sense. Up until he'd witnessed one of his men find his soulmate in another man, and had questioned his master in the same manner as before. _He is lucky,_ Caesar had said then, _He has a partner rather than a slave, and that is invaluable._ That made sense too, when it was presented like that. A partner rather than a slave. Vulpes had decided at the ripe age of fifteen that was what he wanted, and had set out to find his soulmate among the different men they captured. It was a challenge, since their thoughts would be printed onto his skin, rather than their words; that made it exceedingly difficult to prove who it would be.

The first time he noticed words on his skin, he'd preened in pride. _Christ, he's strong._ Of course, the context was lost because it was just words, and once he was reminded of that dread formed in his stomach. Was it someone he'd killed? Was it someone that had fought him and been captured? He hoped it was the latter. At least if they were captured he would be able to find them more easily, and if they were dead, well, he'd have to live with that. It didn't occur to him that it could be someone outside of the Legions influence until his trip to New Vegas when he'd given that woman Caesars Mark.

 _Oh no, he's hot._ Was scrawled into his skin later that evening when he'd crawled into bed and he'd almost laughed at the outrageousness of that statement. Were they truly disturbed by that concept? Shouldn't they be pleased by his appearance? Vulpes had traced the new words on his forearm somewhat affectionately, trying to remember who it was he'd met twice. There was the courier, who he'd dismissed in Nipton when she'd attacked him and his people, because it wouldn't have mattered if they were soulmates, he was determined to kill her when Caesar was done using her – that, and he had caught sight of a phrase hidden just under her armor during their fight, across her collarbone, meaning she already had a soulmate. Next was the receptionist at the Gomorrah, but her skin appeared empty of even a hint of a tattoo. He fell asleep contemplating, and dreamed of the courier.

 _Fuck!_ Vulpes stared at the newly forming word on his wrist as he listened to the shouts in the distance. The Couriers sniper friend had managed to get in a lucky shot the next morning before he had even awoken, but he'd know her shrill voice anywhere. He moved quickly to the hide himself behind some nearby boulders and assessed his wound as their incessant shouting match continued. What were they even arguing about? He wondered as he pressed on his shoulder, debating how likely it was that she had decided to turn against the Legion already. Doubtful, since she had remained in Legion territory for two days, perfectly content, after her agreement to help them conquer New Vegas. The shouting stopped and he heard footsteps heading his direction rapidly, the person obviously sprinting.

"Vulpes, it's just me, okay? It's Vixen! I sent Boone away." Wisely, she announced herself before turning the corner and looking at him worriedly. Vulpes had almost rolled his eyes when he realized her name was a play on his – which she had apparently admitted to picking after meeting him since she had no memory of her life before, if Lanius's taunting was to be believed – but as they'd been in the presence of Caesar, it would have been inappropriate. He could see the gears turning in her head as she looked at him, and after a moment, realization dawned on him.

"That's why you picked the name." The words were murmured, and, as if proving his point, her eyes widened just enough to be noticeable and a new phrase formed on the exposed skin of his hand. _Well, that's embarrassing._ He smirked despite his pain, almost laughing outright at how ridiculous the situation was. _Foolish girl._ The thought scrawled up her exposed forearm and she rolled her eyes when she read if before dropping across from him.

"It wasn't hard to figure out who you were," Vixen said simply, her voice betraying none of her nerves as she hesitantly reached out to move his clothes from his wound. "I'm surprised it took you this long to realize it, as much as we see one another."

"Explain." The word was an order, not a question. How had she known before him? There hadn't been any obvious signs, as far as he knew. The words were the only tell he'd ever been informed of. She smirked at him then, cocking an eyebrow but not commenting on his attitude as she finally just ripped his shirt away from his skin and poured some water on the wound.

"Look at me." Vulpes was preparing to snarl out his next irritable sentence when she rolled her eyes and frowned at him. "Just _look._ See me." She interrupted him mysteriously and he grit his teeth as he glared at her. But sure enough, after a moment of watching her, he felt a foreign affection unfurling in his chest that he hadn't had for the small redhead before.

His body responded to her presence against his will, and the urge to reach out to her was alarming. When he didn't say anything, she gave him a small, rueful smile of acknowledgement and went back to examining his injury while he thought about this new information. It had been as simple as him not paying attention to his surroundings. Vulpes found himself looking at his soulmate with new eyes, impressed by how perceptive she must have been to catch it before him.

"When did you know?" He finally asked as she took some tweezers out and began fishing the bullet out of his shoulder. The pain was excruciating, but he'd experienced it so many times he was able to contain the need to express it.

"Nipton." She said shortly, and for some reason that hurt. Blue eyes landed on his with a furrowed brow and she seemed to pick up on something in his expression because she looked sufficiently distressed at her admittance. "Well, I mean, technically it wasn't until that night when I got away from you and noticed the phrase _'profligate whore'_ was scribbled into my collarbone – thanks, by the way, that's real flattering – so I knew it was one of your little group. I didn't know when I started shooting." Her clarification soothed his nerves a bit, and he even felt a bit guilty that such a degrading phrase was stuck on her skin.

"It was confirmed for me in New Vegas when you brought me the Mark," Vixens voice held a strange note as she stitched him up and he wondered what thought about her had been put on her that time. "I figured since you were apparently intent on killing me, you either didn't know who I was, or didn't care. I tend to be optimistic, so I was hoping you just hadn't realized yet." Stones seemed to settle in his stomach at even the idea of hurting her, now, and that annoyed him deeply.

"So you felt… _this_ , in New Vegas?" Vulpes was amused at the concept of the fiery courier feeling this level of adoration for him. She was notoriously good, the complete opposite of him in just about every way; it made no sense that they would end up paired together.

"Oh, no, I felt this in Nipton. I thought I was having some kind of weird reaction because you were part my past. After Benny shot me in the head, I couldn't remember anything from before, but I would get these weird… sensations every once in a while; ghosts of memories, almost. They've pretty much stopped now." That amused him even more, somehow. Her blue eyes narrowed on his for a moment and he saw her lips curl in mild amusement.

"Yes, I was miserable for days trying to figure it out; when I finally did, I was mortified. Your reputation was daunting." Her use of past tense was almost offensive, but instead he found himself sharing a grin with her. It was easy to forget his previous grievances with her.

"Vulpes!" Another voice drew her attention from wrapping up her handiwork and she put some distance between them, giving off the impression of disinterest as Alerio and Vadik came into view. Alerio came into view first, giving his newfound soulmate a disgusted glare as she folded her arms over her chest, and raised an eyebrow at him. When Vadik made his way to them, however, Vixen and he both tensed, rooted to their places. Naturally, Alerio and Vulpes picked up on the slight shift immediately.

"Vanna?" Vadik's voice was careful and Vixen furrowed her brow in that familiar distressed way. He saw her eyes dart to him, careful not to look him in the eye but seeking him out in her moment of confusion; it occurred to him that he'd seen her do this numerous times and thought she was simply not keen on making eye contact with the Legion men addressing her.

"Vixen – the courier who is assisting us." Vulpes supplied the other man when his soulmate seemed deep in thought. To his surprise, Vadik sniffed as if that was the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard.

"Her name is Vanna; we're twins." Vixen tentatively touched her temple and he realized she wasn't confused so much as she appeared to be in pain. The scar on her head was visible behind the two fingers she was using to rub at it, and something clicked in Vulpes as well. He remembered Vadik having a little redhead following him around when they were children.

"You mean the one your father had tied to the post for three days when we were children? I thought she'd died ages ago." Alerio commented, sounding mildly curious, and Vixen's eyes suddenly hardened as she righted herself, cocking her head to one side. Vulpes watched the change with intrigue as cold blue eyes landed on his subordinate.

"Well, my memories a bit foggy after taking a bullet to the head." Her voice was smooth as silk and stiff as steel, but she sounded confident even when Vadik glared accusingly at her. She turned and pointed to the scar, and the man's face softened significantly, though she looked decidedly irritable with this turn of events.

"I sent you to get the platinum chip for Lord Caesar," Vadik said softly, and Vulpes looked at him sharply. This was the first he'd heard of whatever plan this was. "I assumed you'd died in the Mojave when you never returned." Vulpes wanted to throttle him. The Legion didn't send women to do their dirty work – especially not Legion-born women. They were of the few that were considered acceptable to make wives of; it made his new desire to keep Vixen close to him achievable.

"Benny ambushed me with some Great Kahn thugs," Vixens voice was quiet. "He had them tie me up and put me in front of a shallow grave they'd dug out in Goodsprings cemetery and shot me in the head." Her fingers traced the scar, looking contemplative for a moment before a dark smirk tugged onto her face; he realized that for all the praises being sung in her name around the Mojave, she had to have a significant dark streak to have come as far as she had.

"I crawled out after they buried me and one of Mr. Houses robots helped get me to Doc Mitchell. Then I hunted down the men who helped him kill me one by one, so he'd know I was coming. I put a bullet in his head in his own casino right in front of his bodyguards and dared them to do something about it." Her sigh was almost fond of the memory, and it did things to him that it probably shouldn't have.

"Then I wanted to take down Mr. House, because he just assumed I'd come crawling back with the chip for him, and–" She stopped herself, the smirk wavering into a small smile as she shrugged. Vulpes knew immediately she'd done something she didn't want them to know about, but the other two seemed to accept it was a 'the rest you know about' rather than the obvious tell it was. He made a mental note to visit New Vegas after he finished with this encounter.

"Anyway, I saw Vulpes here get shot and thought I'd render my services," Vixens smile was a bit more genuine now. "I have to hurry back to New Vegas, though, otherwise House is going to get suspicious." With that, she turned and started her trek away from him; Vulpes watched her go with narrowed eyes, suspicious of her intentions now that he knew her past. How much of what she said was true? What had she done in New Vegas that she didn't want them to know about?


	2. Chapter 2

Vixen loved being in charge of New Vegas. Similar to the way Vulpes had handled Nipton after deeming the residents unworthy – except she'd learned enough from House and Benny that she should rig it to work in her favor – she'd brought the head of the Three Families to the Lucky 38 and announced one of them would get the opportunity to rule all three casinos. With the help of her newly upgraded securitrons, she'd dropped them in the middle of the strip and had them fight to the death. When it came down to Swank and Nero, she'd promptly sniped the Gomorrah boss from her place nearby, grinning at the grateful Chairman.

"Swank," Vixen practically purred his name when she approached and handed him a pair of stimpaks. "I'm so glad you came out on top. You're apparently the only normal one around here." He laughed and accepted her help graciously.

"Now I need you to clean house, feel me? You'll have some securitrons as backup, but the casinos are your job; if there ends up being any issues in the future, you'll be hard-pressed to convince me I shouldn't take it out of your ass. I want everyone who isn't willing to cooperate with the regime change dead, and anyone who is thoroughly vetted so that we don't end up with anyone Legion or NCR spies trying to start a coup. I may be queen, but your king here, brother, and we've gotta work together to keep our turf safe." With her brief speech finished, they shook hands and he was practically strutting off with his five securitrons to gather his boys. Naturally, Gomorrah put up more of a fight, and Vixen was almost sad to see so many of their bodies being pulled out to be disposed of. They really were good fighters.

Luckily, her pact to 'help the Legion take over' was keeping them at bay for the most part. There was the odd soldier that Vulpes would send in to spy, but since nobody went into the Lucky 38 but her, it was easy to pretend that House was still alive and kicking. This decision, however, may very well put her in a bit of a predicament. It had been necessary, of course, because the Gomorrah had been plotting to help the Legion for real, and the Ultra Luxe still had cannibals dancing around in their shadows. That, and it couldn't have hurt to paint her as a vicious monarch who was going to rule with an iron fist alongside the big-bad Swank.

"How interesting." Vulpes voice earned a grin as she turned to face him, head tilted to one side.

"What is, Mr. Fox?" The innocence in her voice – or perhaps her use of the name – made him smirk despite the burning anger in his eyes, and she felt a shiver run down her spine.

"Well, Mrs. Fox," The name had her flushed pink only moments after it left his mouth, which made his smirk widen marginally. "It appears you've performed quite the hostile takeover, or am I mistaken?" Somehow, she was certain if she answered wrong he was going to take his vengeance out on her ass, but what could she say? Lying would be pointless, really, because he was going to report back to Caesar what he'd seen, but if she answered honestly she may as well put a bullet in her head right now because she was not going to like the results.

"Would you believe me if I said Mr. House was tired of dealing with three assholes and decided to cut the number down to one?" Vulpes humored her, appearing thoughtful as they discussed her blatant betrayal of the Legion in public.

"No." The curt response made it clear their game was over, and she flinched. This really wasn't how she'd planned on this conversation to go, if she were being honest. In fact, she'd planned on having Boone snipe Legate Lanius and Manny take a shot at Caesar in hopes of eliminating two major threats before she revealed this, but her soulmate was apparently compelled to investigate every move she made.

"Fine. I killed Mr. House shortly after I convinced Caesar to let me into the bunker, where I upgraded the securitrons; half of my army is down there. When I was sure I'd fooled you all, I came back and installed Yes Man into the mainframe before promptly murdering House, and have been discreetly running things ever since." She could tell he was impressed by the slight raising of his eyebrows, indicating interest.

"You've been in charge that long? Why didn't you 'clean house' sooner?" The use of her terminology made her grin nervously at him before she looked away from his eyes.

"I had to wait until your people weren't around to cause problems for me; I didn't think you'd be back so soon." The admittance was embarrassing, and she knew from the sudden glimpse of cold fire in his gaze he was wondering if she'd set up Boone shooting him – which she hadn't – but it'd be difficult to convince him of that.

"So you've decided to betray me, Mrs. Fox?" The accusation stung, and she released a frustrated sigh.

"And what exactly do I get for sticking with your people?" She demanded, hands on her hips and the familiar sting in her eyes. "I hand the Strip over, and, what? I get to be one of those poor girls you guys have working around the camp? Or, more likely, dead, because not only am I a woman, I'm an opinionated and capable woman. I mean, for fucks sake, I took over New Vegas in a matter of days when I crawled out of my shallow grave." Her arms had crossed defensively across her chest, practically seething that he couldn't see this from her perspective.

"You'd get to be my wife." That struck a nerve, and she knew he noticed when his lips pursed together and he wouldn't meet her eye again. She tried to gentle her voice, but it came out sounding resigned and tired more than anything.

"And what does that entail? I get to be your personal house pet? Have a couple kids? Get punished if I _step out of line_? It's still a collar, if a bit nicer one." Vulpes looked at her once again and she grit her teeth, watching him process her words.

"Why don't you stay with me?" Vixens voice was so soft she wasn't sure he'd heard her at all. "You can help me here." He didn't respond, instead simply turning and walking away. The smart thing would have been to send one of her securitrons after him and force him to stay; to have taken him prisoner and trapped. It was what he would have done. Instead, she let him walk out of New Vegas without much of a fight. Later that night, she found a new phrase scribbled into the skin along her hipbone. _I wish I could._ The words made her burst into tears, because it was the answer she hadn't wanted, and because she feared the consequences of her actions. Suddenly the Lucky 38 seemed astonishingly empty, and all she could think about was how stupid she must be to have let him leave.

Sure enough, in the next three days, the Legion laid siege on New Vegas. Luckily, she's extended her reach to Freeside as well, making a pact with all the relevant families and managing to scrap together a small militia to add to her army of securitrons. She'd also activated the ones in the bunker beneath Fortification Hill and called them home. Yes Man had warned her of the incoming threat when he saw them marching over the hills, and she'd promptly ordered him to launch the missiles running along the tower. It hadn't stopped them, but it had halved their forces before they made it to the wall, and her securitrons had eliminated the rest. When the few that remained attempted a retreat, she'd sent some of the Kings and Chairmen after them to pick them off before they made it back to the Fort, feeling a weight in her heart she hadn't expected.

They hadn't had any casualties, which had resulted in a party like the strip had never seen. Boone and Manny got news of her victory and practically beat down her doors to question her; with their help, she managed to form a reluctant treaty with the NCR. Independent New Vegas ruled the dam with its superior fire power, but she'd agreed to share their resources with them, if they'd do the same, and the decision had gotten her three hundred more soldiers to beef up their defenses in exchange for food from the farms she'd created within Freeside to provide jobs for the unemployed in the area.

"I'm so fucking proud of you!" Boone appeared happy for the first time since she met him, and it made her smile softly. She'd quickly started promoting people when Swank gave her the Vegas cut of the casino profits, and Boone and Manny had taken up roles as her military advisors, while Mick and Ralph were working on how to make more securitrons and fix those that were damaged in their battle with the Legion.

"Thanks, Boone." Vixen herself had started putting up turrets along the walls after they'd been reinforced, and before she realized it, a solid three months had passed. It was nothing new for her to be alone, and she'd allowed the Lucky 38 to be opened to the public once she adjusted Yes Man to only answer to her orders. The casino floor was all she allowed, and to say security was tight was an understatement, but it became clear that the novelty of entering the Lucky 38 outweighed the restrictions for the patrons. That was probably her first big mistake as a leader, but it was a well-placed attempt at a trap, so she decided she'd cross that bridge if she got there.

"Mrs. Fox, you have a visitor!" Yes Man came over the intercom as she soaked in the tub. Running water was the first things she'd gotten fixed after taking over, and it had paid off beautifully. Her citizens were more hygienic than ever, and it helped stop the rampant spread of infection and disease when they cleaned up the Legion bodies.

"Tell them come back later, I'm occupied." Vixen responded, smiling a bit wistfully at the name. She'd sent Boone and Manny to take down Caesar, primarily, and Legate Lanius if possible. Without a head, she figured they'd struggle for a bit and maybe head back to Flagstaff and be out of her hair.

"He said to tell you, it's Mr. Fox! I didn't know you were married!" The cheery voice exclaimed and she practically threw herself out of the tub, quickly dressing and grabbing her gun. She didn't doubt he'd be the one the Legion would send to assassinate her, and she didn't really want to put a bullet in him, but if she needed to she would.

"Let him up." She leaned against the wall across from the elevator, trying to appear casual despite her outright lack of armor and still sopping wet curls. Seeing him again made her heart soar; he seemed to feel the same from the slight twitch of his hands when he stepped into her apartment. Or maybe he was debating how best to strangle her – she could never be sure. His striking blue eyes looked her over from head to toe, and she warmed under the attention, offering a hesitant smile.

"You sent men to kill Lord Caesar." Vulpes sighed and she felt her smile fade into a sharp glare. Worry pierced her heart – had they been captured? Surely not.

"And? He sent an army and sent back the heads of all the couriers I sent offering to form a treaty. I think it's pretty clear that he wasn't interested in coexisting peacefully. If he wasn't such a sexist, we could have made the same deal I made with the NCR." Her soulmate glared back at her, but appeared mildly confused for a moment. It occurred to her he may not have known she'd tried to make a deal with the Legion before the NCR. That was on purpose, naturally, because people would have turned on her immediately without hearing her out, but after the second head she decided Caesar couldn't be reasoned with and changed tactics.

"I didn't know that." He admitted, and her glare softened.

"Yeah, I didn't exactly advertise it. I figured you would have been in the loop that decided murdering innocent couriers – all of which were well suited for the Legion, by the way, and open Legion sympathizers – was the best way to refuse a peaceful offer." Vixen rolled her shoulders as he watched her, looking for the lie in her words.

"Are they alive?" She asked instead, and Vulpes scowled.

"They succeeded in their mission." He responded instead, and Vixen felt dread fill her at the fact he was dancing around the question.

"Vulpes." A tired sigh. It was all she needed to hear to know that her friends weren't returning. They were probably on posts at the camp – or had just made a suicide pact, if they were lucky.

"Did they get Lanius?" She was fighting back her tears, reminding herself that this is what happens in war, and trying desperately not to imagine their fate. Vulpes provided no details when he saw she'd gotten his silent message, deciding to ignore her obvious distress for the moment.

"That's actually why I'm here, Mrs. Fox."


	3. Chapter 3

Vulpes had been stunned when the bullet pierced Caesars skull. So stunned, in fact, he hadn't moved for a solid minute. Lanius had been shot at, but managed to escape the sniper fire with a roar of rage and started shouting orders at his men. He'd promptly returned to his own men, ordering them to head to New Vegas in disguise and wait for him just outside the city. Many of them knew that with Caesars death it would mean their own, as Lanius was next in line for the position, but there were a few who argued and were promptly put down by either Alerio or Vadik to keep the secret of their meetup location. It was sad that they'd been so foolish, especially since Lanius had always made it very clear his intentions for them when he took over.

Vulpes himself opted to go and try to find out who it was that had killed the Caesar, but he thought he had an idea, considering how vindictive his soulmate apparently was. Caesar had actually just been discussing how well Independent New Vegas was doing under her reign, and trying to decide their next course of action now that she'd set up missile launchers along the walls of her territories. Vulpes was exceedingly proud of what a great leader the woman he was meant to be with had become; as he'd already informed Caesar of her status as his soulmate, she was to be spared and handed off to him to be dealt with however he saw fit. Lanius was arguing that exact point when the bullet went through their mentor and leaders head, and Vulpes had no doubt he would use this event to justify executing him.

By the time he made it up the hill, the two snipers he recognized as his soulmates companions were in combat with some of the Legates men, and Vulpes hesitated to get involved. They had been the ones to kill Caesar, after all, and the least he could do to honor the man would be to leave them to their fates. When he saw Boone take a machete to the throat and the other promptly shot in the head, Vulpes slipped away and headed after his men. It was difficult for the first few hours, as Lanius had sent out trackers to hunt his men down, but he was confident that his order not to let any of them be taken alive would be enough to keep the majority safe. When he managed to get to their meeting place, he was pleased to find nearly a hundred men had made it out alive.

"We're going to seek refuge in New Vegas. It's the only place Lanius cannot reach us at this moment, and Mrs. Fox has a vested interest in eliminating the Legion." The fact she was now using that name now amused him deeply, even as his men attempted to argue their distaste of the idea.

"We will use her and her resources to eliminate Lanius, and then we will take over Vegas from the inside." Vulpes looked around, seeing the understanding dawn on the men. The protests silenced quickly after that, and had it not been the middle of the night, Vulpes would have left right then to speak with his soulmate. Instead, he rested with his men, then grabbed Vadik to accompany him into the city, leaving Alerio in charge during his absence.

He'd been surprised, when he entered Freeside, to discover that the walls separating the different districts had been eliminated and apparently used to reinforce the outer walls, and most of the old, unusable buildings demolished while others that were previously abandoned were now lit. There were farms scattered through the area that was formerly East Freeside, and he could see a few more to the west, though that area appeared more for housing. The Mormon Fort was now a base for the local guard, and the Followers had been given the building across from the Kings as their base of operations. Vadik seemed similarly impressed with the new arrangement as they passed patrolling securitrons and New Vegas soldiers alike.

When he walked up to the Lucky 38, he smirked to find it now open to the public and wondered if she realized what a dangerous game she was playing. A quick order for Vadik to wait outside for him in the event she wasn't as happy to see him as he hoped, he made his way to the nearest elevator and promptly had a gun pointed at him from the nearest securitron.

"What are you doing?" The cheery voice didn't match the aggressive situation, and he noted his soulmate may actually be smarter than he had given her credit for. A quick way to find traitors was to leave a perceived opening and see if they took the shot.

"I need to speak with Mrs. Fox." The robot said nothing in response for a long moment and he held his temper with practiced ease.

"The Boss says come back later!" The robot kept his aim on him, and it was almost disturbing how happy it seemed about the prospect of murdering him.

"Tell her it's Mr. Fox." Again, the robot didn't respond, but the elevator opened and he took it as his cue when the securitron lowered its weapon and went back to patrolling the casino. He had never been a fan of closed spaces, but was grateful with how fast the box moved up the tower and deposited him in her apartment. After basking in her beauty – obviously he'd interrupted her midbath, but he tried not to think about that – he explained what her assassination of the Caesar had meant for him and his people in the hopes she'd be sympathetic. Instead, she looked distinctly unbothered by his plight, though thoughtful.

"I've been considering expanding the walls..." She said quietly to herself rather than respond to him, making his eyes narrow in mild irritation. "Tell you what, Mr. Fox, I'm not stupid enough to let you and a hundred Legion soldiers inside my walls, but you're more than welcome to take up the area surrounding them. I've wanted to build another ring around Vegas since we finally got this one reinforced, and I think you and your boys would be happy to do it for me." She started walking and gestured for him to follow; the duo found themselves in what appeared to be a meeting room, where he found various papers and maps thrown about on a long table. The chairs were all pushed back against the walls, and after a moment she made a quiet exclamation and curled a finger his way to come see what she was looking at.

The map was obviously New Vegas, with the each building and farm marked. He considered telling her it was unwise of her to show him this, as it had every possible exit marked, not to mention all their resources, but the impassive look she gave him let him know this was a test of trust, so he stayed silent.

"My missiles will protect this entire area," She slid her finger across the page, making a circle. "But their range ends about here." With a pen, she made a mark on the page as not to forget. "I've wanted to put another wall up just within range of my missiles, and put up another defensive line along it to extend the missile range, because right here," Her finger slid along a smaller line on the page, obviously drawn in by a blue pen that indicated a road, he assumed. A glance at her expression let him know this was far more important than a road. "Is a river."

For a moment, he was surprised that she'd claim such a ridiculous thing. There were no rivers in the Mojave, hence why most people struggled to get pumps, and paid the Crimson Caravan to deliver them clean water. It was one of the many reasons Caesar had wanted the dam so badly – water was a luxury not many had. Even Goodsprings struggled, and they were one of the few places that managed to have wells. The only other place that he remembered clearly having water was Jacobstown.

"It's underground," Vixens voice was quiet, as if imparting a great secret to him, and if she was being honest, she probably was. "But if I get it, I can release the dam and better fortify New Vegas. Fuck, Vulpes, I'll even execute every NCR soldier on it for you if you want, I don't care about the place at all. The only reason I maintain it is because of the water." The statement surprised him, and he turned his attention back to her map. She had obviously thought this through a lot, because the water seemed to come in from the opposite direction of the dam, which meant whoever took control of it wouldn't be able to cut her off.

"Help me kill Lanius, and we will build you the wall," He said slowly, and for a moment they simply stared at each other. "I'm next in line to become Caesar. When I take control of the Legion, I'll allow you to keep New Vegas and any surrounding territory you may have claimed, in exchange for your allegiance." He watched his soulmates expression soften to the point it was almost tender, and for the first time, she fell into his arms, embracing him. Instinctively, he pulled her to him, breathing in her scent as they stood there, holding each other.

"We can debate the details of our alliance if we actually succeed in killing him, but he's already on my hit list, so helping you won't pose a problem unless the NCR realize who you are, in which case it's simple math: a hundred men or three hundred." The warning was clear as day. Right now, they weren't Legion, and couldn't behave as such or risk getting the boot. If they got caught, and it came down to who she would choose, it would be the NCR. To protect her people and her empire; he could respect that.

"Understood." Vulpes murmured into her hair, still holding her. It felt… intense. The pair was seemingly attached, unwilling or unable to pull away from the way they fit together so perfectly. He contemplated telling her that a hundred Legion men were worth six hundred NCR, but figured there would be no point in trying to argue with her.

"You'll be safe, for the most part." Vixen whispered into his chest. "Set up camp close to the wall and if he does come, he won't be able to get close enough to do any real damage. On the off chance he gets passed the missiles, you'll be able to fall back behind the walls, but that's the only time I want anyone besides you, Alerio, or Vadik inside." She nuzzled her face into his chest, squeezing his midsection a little tighter. Part of him wanted to negotiate, but he knew it would be useless. She was being particularly generous, considering the fact the Legion had tried to rip her home from her grasp only three months prior and refused an alliance. Brushing his fingers through her mess of curls, she was practically purring in his arms; the feeling of oneness warmed him from the inside.

"Thank you, Mrs. Fox." Vixen grinned up at him, then, acknowledging his poke at her choice of name. Vulpes was certain she was about to kiss him, from the way her gaze flickered to his lips and the soft tint of pink dusted her cheeks – but, unfortunately, the same cheery voice from before came over the speakers.

"Hey, Boss! You have another visitor!" His soulmate pulled away, then, and he felt decidedly empty.

"Who is it?" All business now, he noted. She gave him one more bright smile before she headed towards the elevator, holding a brief conversation with the machine as he followed a bit more slowly, observing.

"He says he's looking for Mr. Fox! Congratulations, by the way! I would have gotten you a wedding gift!" The smirk she sent him made his heart leap in his chest, but neither made a move to argue with the AI.

"I see. I'll send Mr. Fox down, then. Yes Man, please ensure Mr. Fox makes it back to his people safely, and from now on I want," She did a quick count on her fingers that was absolutely adorable, not that Vulpes would ever say such a ridiculous thing. "Ten securitrons patrolling just outside the walls to help protect our new guests; make sure I receive any relevant requests or messages from them." A quick agreement from the machine, and they were suddenly in front of the elevators. Vulpes was momentarily overwhelmed by the desire to stay with her, not unlike he had been the first time she offered a place alongside her. At the time, he'd been wrapped up in remaining loyal to the Legion, but now he lacked sufficient motivation to leave. Their blue eyes met and she forced an uncertain smile onto her features as the doors opened and she gestured for him to step inside, an obvious dismissal.

"Stay safe out there, Vulpes." He stepped into the dangerous contraption, giving a slight nod of acknowledgement.

"See you soon, Vixen." The doors closed quickly, but not before he caught sight of her flushed cheeks and shy smile.


	4. Chapter 4

Building the wall wasn't a terrible plan, outside of the obvious issue of trusting Legion soldiers to do it. Explaining the sudden influx of people had proven irritating when the NCR started asking questions, but she'd simply said they were refugees fleeing the Legion – which was not technically a lie. Vixen had held a quiet vigil for Boone and Manny after reporting their success to the NCR, who were understandably pleased and gearing up to go after Legate Lanius while they were without leadership.

Most days, she felt fine letting her soulmate be so near, and had even granted him access to her suite when he came to visit. Today, however, she found herself standing in front of a full length mirror in her bathroom, clothed in only her underwear, and reading all the thoughts Vulpes had ever had about her. None of them were flattering.

 _Profligate whore_ remained her darkly amused favorite, stretched across her collarbone like a low-cut shirt, but _Foolish girl_ was probably the gentlest, on her inner forearm. The rest ranged from thoughts of murder to mild annoyance, though some seemed vaguely impressed by her prowess. She supposed it was the best she could hope for, since her soulmate was a Legion monster who had slaughtered hundreds and enslaved more people than she could count. At least he seemed somewhat sane and capable of feeling something for her – or at least pretending he did – so maybe things weren't so bad. She just needed to resign herself to the fact he would always think she was beneath him, and apparently unworthy of kind thoughts.

"Hey, Boss, Mr. Fox is heading up to the suite!" Vixen grabbed her robe, pulling it on and tying a loose knot as she headed out to her bedroom.

"Business or pleasure?" Yes Man didn't respond immediately, so she assumed he must be discussing things with her _darling_ soulmate.

"Business!" _Of course._ Vixen gave a quick order not to let him exit the elevator until she got there, dressing in a stunningly well-maintained cocktail dress that revealed most of her tattoos and strapping That Gun to her hip. When she reached the doors to the elevator, Vulpes stepped out looking irritable, glaring over his shoulder at it. She wondered if she should inform him that it was on her order that it stayed shut, but then remembered all his hateful thoughts printed on her skin and decided she didn't want another one to wonder over. Immediately, Vulpes eyes were drawn to the exposed words, his face becoming carefully neutral; Vixen debated snapping her fingers in his face when he took too long to get talking.

"I'm sorry for those." Humming her acknowledgement, she leaned against the wall and crossed her arms. He was either stalling or genuinely disturbed by the words on her skin, but she wasn't in the mood to play this game with him today.

"Can we get to the point, or are you going to keep me waiting all day?" Vixen hadn't meant her words to sound so hostile, but from the sharp look she got in response, he'd obviously picked up on her less-than-stellar mood. It was his stupid fault. If he was half as smart as everyone thought he was he would have known who she was instantly. She wasn't sure if that would have changed the words dotting her skin, but the idea that it may have was appealing.

"My scouts," _Did I tell him he could have scouts?_ "Have spotted Lanius heading our way, and I thought you should be aware." Vixen waited. And waited. But he didn't say anything more, and she rolled her eyes, gesturing him to follow her to her bedroom. There was a large screen there that she'd installed after killing House, and a quick word to Yes Man revealed her camera feeds.

"Yes Man, show me where Lanius is." The next image on the screen was, sure enough, an army marching towards New Vegas. The small drones Mick and Ralph had mad for her were a modern miracle, and she had them following most important people in her city, and some outside. They tended to go unnoticed, being about the size of a raven and similarly disguised, so it wasn't hard to maintain the illusion that she knew about everything that happened.

"And how far is his army from us? Is it bigger or smaller than the one sent four months ago?" Vulpes seemed stunned at her reach, which made her smirk smugly to herself. She wasn't foolish, or stupid, and she certainly didn't need his approval.

"They're about two days away! And much smaller than the first one, Boss, so we shouldn't need to worry." Cheery as always, she appreciated the machines can-do attitude more now than ever.

"I want all drones within the city to head out and see if they've possibly split up and are looking to hit us from two sides. If you see that they are, I want you to send out a small team of securitrons to eliminate the smaller group, preferably before they can warn the larger. Bring Jared along to offer clemency to anyone who may want out. When he's done his job make it look like a Legionary killed him and drag his body back." She picked Jared mostly because he was one of the few Chairmen left who had been pro-Benny, and had a small following within her walls. Swank had admitted at their last meeting that he was getting a bit out of hand, so she decided to kill two birds with one stone.

"Making him a martyr? May not be wise." She'd allowed Vulpes to sit in on that meeting, against her better judgement. Not many people recognized him without the shades and the crazy animal-hat, so while people had complained – mainly the NCR representative – she'd quieted them by explaining he was the refugee representative.

"And why is that? The Legion killed poor Jared and now his men will be more inclined to follow Swank when he gives his delightful vengeance speech and they honor their fallen Chairmen." The mocking tone she was using went ignored, but she saw the look of annoyance on his features. It was easy for her, to implicate the Legion, because they were basically the Mojave boogeyman. Her soulmate being a part of their ranks meant nothing. He had chosen his side months ago, and scattered her body with disgraceful thoughts, so his opinion mattered to her about as much as Neros had.

"Nobody is going to believe that." Vulpes answered and she shrugged, uninterested, as the camera feeds died and she turned to him.

"Then they can revolt and I'll personally put a bullet in all their heads. The only person who would know the truth for certain is you," Vixen cocked an eyebrow at him. "And while I'm sure you'd love to implicate me, right now isn't the time, and so you'll be keeping your mouth shut about it, won't you?" His gaze darkened at her impassive words, but she didn't notice; instead stepped around him to lead him to the elevator.

It was not often that Vixen left her suite. She was extremely antisocial, and preferred to work from the privacy and safety of the Lucky 38, even on her best days.


End file.
